brunch

Personally, I love an omelet for a quick lunch or supper. They are so versatile. Breakfast too on weekends. You can pair them with any sort of cheese you have on hand. Add some veggies to that for more nutrition and flavor. Don’t overcook it and you have a delicate masterpiece of a meal. The only trouble I have is trying to fill it and get it whole onto the plate. A few disasters have occurred. The omelet still tastes fine but looks a mess. That step when I fill it and slide the whole bundle full of veggies and cheese onto a plate is a tricky step for sure. The other day I did it differently. When the omelet was nearly cooked I folded it and put the thinly sliced cheese (from Aldi’s) on top of the soft eggs. Then I topped it with the sautéed veggies I had cooked to go in side. Carefully I slid it on the plate and there it was; perfect!

Eggs are cheap and good for you, full of protein, no sugar or preservatives. A great start for the day or for lunch or supper. Quick to make, delicious and no tricky efforts needed!

Angie’s Topped Omelet

3 eggs

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup sliced and chopped cabbage

1 small red onion

½ a carrot shredded on the large holes

2 tsp. butter

1 or two thin slices Gouda cheese (I used 1.5)

Directions: Heat a medium sized frying pan; add the olive oil, then the cabbage. Cook for 4-5 minutes stirring to keep it from burning. Add the shredded carrot and the onion which you sliced top to bottom into long strips. Cook 4-6 minutes until all is softened but not browned. Keep warm.

In a Teflon pan (I keep one just for making eggs so it never gets all messed up) heat the butter until it is hot but not browned. The butter adds flavor and keeps sticking to a minimum. As that butter heats crack the eggs into a small bowl, add about 1-2 tbsp. water and beat with a whisk briefly. This whipping makes for a fluffier omelet. Add to the hot pan and as the eggs cook, lift the edges pushing them toward the center and allowing eggs to run out and fill the empty space you have created. Keep doing this until there is no more runny egg. Turn off the heat and fold to make an omelet. then add the slice of Gouda cheese. Cover the omelet with the hot veggies you just cooked. Gently slide off the pan onto a plate and enjoy!

Make whatever omelet filling you like. I do broccoli and provolone, sautéed onions and peppers with provolone, or mushrooms and cheddar are a few of my favorites.

Eggs Benedict is kinda old school elegant – but if you enjoy egg sandwiches you will definitely want to read this post. We love eggs benedict for brunch or Sunday supper. Since I went gluten free due to celiac disease I had to find gf English muffins that were more than just edible as the muffin is the base for the layers that create this tasty dish. I have made three different recipes. First two were just “okay.” This most recent one is from America’s Test Kitchen’s “The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook” published in 2014. It uses their make-it-yourself flour blend. There is no need for muffin rings unlike the other recipes I have made. The dough is very sticky; a stand mixer is pretty much required. You form it into balls using wet hands, let the dough rise an hour on baking sheets sprinkled with corn bread. They are briefly cooked on the stove top in a frying pan and then baked in the oven for 30 minutes. The flavor and texture are outstanding for gf bread. They remind me of homemade wheat flour muffins I used to enjoy years ago. I highly recommend this recipe. Fairly easy and I was thrilled with the flavor and texture. I am not sure what I will do with those darn muffin rings I bought a year ago…

I am not going to provide the muffin recipe today; you could consult the ATK cookbook for that, or use another gf muffin recipe or buy some gf English Muffins. But I will give my recipe for the easiest and best hollandaise sauce ever. It is a cherished family recipe my mom always used and although I have tasted other sauce versions I always come back to this one for its outstanding flavor. My family loves it over broccoli for our favorite side dish.

Please, no substitutions of any kind will work for this recipe and you MUST make it in a Pyrex measuring cup placed in a pan of hot water; just below the boil and going no more than ½ the way up the sides of the glass measuring cup. The glass insulates the contents and allows for a slow measured melting of the butter and an equally slow and almost alchemical blending of these three ingredients into a smooth sauce. Unsalted butter gives a pale unbalanced sauce and not enough lemon makes the flavor insipid. Any leftover sauce can be gently reheated in a microwave or over water; stir a lot and you can add ¼ tsp. hot water if it separates. Beat it with a spoon until it comes back together.

Anyway, back to the recipe! Cut the stick of butter into 8 chunks and place in a Pyrex glass measuring cup; one cup size please. Add the yolks and the lemon juice, no pits either! Place in a sauce pan half full of hot water. Do not let the water boil or go more than half way up the measuring cup. Stir often with a spoon; I leave the spoon right in the cup. It will be hard to stir at first as the butter is still solid but the stirring will get easier. Stir almost constantly until the sauce thickens to coat the spoon and then continue stirring it to an almost custard like thickness. Take the cup of sauce out of the water bath and cover it with aluminum foil while you poach the eggs.

Egg Directions:

4 eggs
2 English muffins
4 slices Canadian bacon (round thin slices)

Eggs: get the best and freshest quality eggs possible. Old eggs spread out as they poach and you will have the perfect shaped poached eggs with really fresh ones. I got mine from a friend who raises chickens; far superior in flavor and freshness to anything from a store.

Spray a frying pan with cooking spray. Fill it with warm water. Bring the water to an active bubble, add a tbsp. vinegar. Break each egg into a short cup and gently tip into the hot water. Do not boil the water. Poach them 3 minutes for a soft squishy egg and 4-5 for firmer eggs. Some like lots of egg yolk liquid and others like a firmer textured egg. Do not overcook them or they are just hard boiled eggs. They should not be firm when you remove them. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on a paper towel.

While those eggs were poaching gently heat the bacon in a small frying pan with a tsp of butter. Cook about 2 minutes and flip, cook 2 more minutes.

Muffins; split each open with a dinner fork and toast in toaster; pale tan; not really browned.

My sauce was leftover from the day before; slightly separated. Still tasted fantastic.

Assembly: place two hot muffin halves on each plate. Top with a slice of Canadian bacon and then a poached egg. Pour a big dollop of sauce on top. We like them served with briefly steamed asparagus spears in the spring and steamed broccoli spears the rest of the year. Dig in!